Mary Cheney Weds Her Partner, Heather Poe

Mary Cheney gave the news to her Facebook friends Friday afternoon: “Very happy to announce that as of this morning, Heather and I are legally married (at least in DC). 20 years to the day after our first date.”

Cheney, 43, the younger daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney, and Heather Poe have two children: Samuel, 5, and Sarah, 2. The family calls Virginia home, but it was in Washington, D.C., where gay marriage has been legal since 2010, that the longtime couple made it official.

Cheney”s father, a conservative Republican who made a public endorsement of same-sex marriage in 2009, and her mother, Lynne, congratulated Mary in a statement Friday.

“Mary and Heather have been in a committed relationship for many years, and we are delighted that they were able to take advantage of the opportunity to have that relationship recognized. Mary and Heather and their children are very important and much loved members of our family and we wish them every happiness.”

As do more than 100 of Cheney”s Facebook friends. Prominent figures from the George W. Bush administration and Mitt Romney presidential campaign added comments of congratulations and encouragement to the newlywed”s status update.